Three Years Later
by Maya-roo
Summary: Something has happened to Emmy, and she has no hope or belief in herself. But when she and a certain professor run into each other, things change for the better.


**A/N: well, this was requested by two people. i actually was already planning to write some layton/emmy, but the people who requested it gave me some motivation to do so. ^^ thanks guys! i don't own professor layton or the characters used in this story. enjoy!**

****It was a cloudy Tuesday afternoon, sometime in late September, and a certain archaeology professor found himself with nothing to do on his day off. At the college he worked at, Gressenheller University, there had been a safety scare, so all of the professors and students got off so police could investigate.

The professor found himself walking along the path to a small park, still uneasy about his nonexistent work. At this time of day, he would usually be in his office reading books while his self proclaimed apprentice, Luke Triton, sorted important documents and tried his best to make the working space tidy (which never really worked out).  
At times passerbys would call out a greeting. "Hello, Professor Hershel Layton!" they would say with a smile, honored to be in the presence of such a famous archaeologist. But the professor just gave them a vague smiling expression.

Hershel was soon at the park, observing his surroundings. A small pond, some nearly dead trees, a bench, and...  
A woman huddled up and crying?  
The professor hurried over to the bench where the lady was curled up. He sat down, making out her features.  
She wore a yellow trench coat, a belt with a camera holder strapped to it, and wavy brown hair that fell into her tear stained face. Hershel stared at the woman, subconsciously holding his breath. The whole world seemed to stop as he realized who this woman was.  
"Emmy...?" he let out a small, barely audible gasp. She had her face buried in her hands, still curled up and crying. Immediately, Hershel felt sympathy for his former assistant. Who wouldn't? Hershel stared at her, curiosity sparking inside him. Why was she so upset, anyway?

Emmy didn't even take a moment to look at the professor. "Go away!" she mumbled, her words lost in her sobs. As Hershel always tried to be a perfect gentleman, he was not sure what to do. Should he leave, as the lady had asked? Or stay, disobeying her wishes, and try to comfort her?  
Although if Luke were here in a situation like this, the professor would tell him to do what the lady would want, but something told Hershel it was a good idea to stay.

After a few moments, the gentleman couldn't take it. Hearing his normally strong, former assistant crying was just so strange for him, and it made him uncomfortable and pitiful. "Emmy, wh-" "I said, go away!" she yelled again, huddling up closer to the side of the bench. _She doesn't even know it's me,_ Hershel realized with a start.  
Emmy struggled to sit up, as she was taken back by more tears. She pulled her hands away from her face, and Hershel could hear her muttering, "This is stupid. I can get through this. Why am I crying? So...Stupid!"

Hershel let out a small sigh. Enough was enough, he decided. He didn't want to watch Emmy suffer any longer.  
The archaeology professor shifted over to embrace Emmy in a warm hug. Taken by surprise, Emmy looked up, ready to slap him, when something clicked.  
"Professor..." she murmured, looking up at him, feeling small. "Oh, Professor!" she said, burying her head into his coat. Hershel squeezed her tighter, and Emmy started up her sobs again. She even returned the hug, while Hershel whispered small "Hush"s in her ear. Finally, after a few minutes, Emmy recovered from her meltdown, and her sobs returned to just tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Now, Emmy, what seems to be the problem?"  
"I-I..." Hershel stared at her, feeling more pity for the young woman. He knew how tough Emmy usually was, and this was the first time he had ever heard her stutter. "I just... Th-things have been... N-n-not good... Without you," she said, more tears rushing down her face. "Things didn't work out," she added, her voice shaking. "That's...too bad," Hershel said, beginning to brush away the tears from her eyes. She quieted down, no longer crying, but the tear stains were still there. After a minute of the professor's comforting embrace, Emmy spoke again.

"I've missed you so much... I made a huge mistake," she said, in a quiet voice that seemed to not belong to her. _She might be a wreck, but she's still as beautiful as ever,_ Hershel thought. "I couldn't make any money from photography. They fired me on the second week... All I am is a rookie! A stupid newbie!" she said, a familiar spark of anger in her coal black eyes. Hershel felt a tiny bit of relief. Somewhere, deep down, was the Emmy Altava he had known.  
"Now Emmy, you know that's not true," he said. "Hershel, don't lie," Emmy muttered, the anger turning to disappointment. Disappointment most likely in herself.

"Lie? I would _never_ lie to a lady!" "I'm not a lady, and you know that," Emmy replied, pulling away from Hershel, still looking as miserable as before. "I'm too... I'm too..." she tried to grasp the words. "Too American!" she finally said. Hershel decided not to mention that was a rude adjective. Instead he gave a few more words of support. "Now Emmy, that's not true." She still had a doubtful expression on her face. "You're beautiful, don't you know that? It doesn't matter whether or not you are polite as other ladies. You are still a lady, and my favorite lady. I like your spunk, Emmy. It's what makes you you, and everything about you is...well, beautiful." The words spoken were no lie. No matter how many times Emmy got on his nerves (which, then again, was maybe once or twice) he had always admired how tough and how strong Emmy was. How she was never afraid of anything.

But everyone has their weaknesses. And it was strange seeing Emmy's, his dear assistant who he had always admired. "I..." Emmy didn't finish her thought. She gave a small smile, and Hershel knew he did the right thing. "I'm glad you agree," he said, smiling as Emmy's face reddened. She wasn't used to such flattery. "Do you really think that?" Emmy questioned, their eyes meeting again.  
"Absolutely."  
Without a second thought, Emmy smiled widely and gave the professor a kiss. He was taken aback, but only for a second. He wrapped his arms around her again, not able to help but to smile before returning the kiss. And they sat there, finally realizing what those feelings meant, and how pleasurable it was to share each others' company in a new way.


End file.
